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A member of
Intelligent Juggling: A Kansas Conglomerate of Juggling Clubs  |
History
As the story goes, the KSU Juggling Club was first formed by Greg Forrester and Krista Bright in the Fall of 1997. Krista relates:
"Greg had an organizational meeting and no one showed. A few weeks later I called and asked him about it all. I wanted to learn something new. He started coming to my apt. to teach me to juggle. Later that semester we got together as a club (found three other people to juggle with us). We were an official club that Spring 98."
...and that's how it began.
The club was featured in the "Unseen" yearbook in 2000, as well as the Collegian that year. Members performed for a Boy Scout Troop, and an appearance at the Wonder Workshop Children's Museum brought about mention in the Manhattan Mercury.
Interest waned in the following semesters and the club ceased to meet. In the spring of 2003, though, Ryan Bradburn transferred to KSU. Working with Krista, he got the club back up on its feet again. The club first met again on the 6th of March, 2003, in the Student Union, taking up its new meeting time on Thursdays. By the end of the semester, the club performed again, this time at the Lee Elementary School Carnival on April 25.
In the fall of 2003, the club grew to about 15 members, and the average skill level was greatly increased by the likes of Kevin McBeth and Kenton Born, who brought over 15 years of collective juggling experience. The KSU Juggling Club began making appearances throughout the town, and gave juggling lessons in the area throughout that fall and spring. Over the next couple of years, the club continued to grow, meeting at the Student Union each Thursday that school was in session (and some that school was not!). In April of 2006, the club held its first Little Apple Juggling Festival in City Park. Jugglers from as far away as Omaha, NE, enjoyed the one-day festival, made complete by a BBQ at lunch and Aggieville pub crawl that night.
Bekah Smith took over as president in the fall of 2006, bringing with her a breath of fresh air for the club. She took the lead to organize several joint meetings with the KU Juggling Club, and brought in even more performances for the KSU Juggling Club. She also worked to bring in more funds for the KSU Juggling Club, especially in an effort to be prepared for the 2nd Annual Little Apple Juggling Festival in April.
Over Winter Break '06 - '07, the KSU Juggling Club joined together with the KU Juggling Club in an effort to spread juggling throughout Kansas. The umbrella organization was dubbed "Intelligent Juggling: A Kansas Conglomerate of Juggling Clubs" in a light-hearted (and non-side-taking) jest aimed at the Kansas school board debate of science standards.
Looking into the future, we plan to continue growing and spreading the art of juggling in the Manhattan area and beyond. The club continues as a student organization, though meetings are open to anyone (including community members) interested in juggling. For more information on club meetings, events, or booking a performance, feel free to contact us.